Richard St. Pierre named Chesapeake Bay Foundation Conservationist of the Year

Pennsylvania fisheries scientist helped re-open hundreds of miles of shad spawning grounds
Richard St. Pierre, who for two decades has led fish protection and restoration efforts on the Susquehanna River, has been named the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 2000 Conservationist of the Year. CBF will present him with $1,000 and a bronze osprey bust by sculptor David Turner.

“Richard St. Pierre has poured his heart and soul into shad and herring restoration on the Susquehanna River, the Chesapeake’s largest tributary,” said Bill Goldsborough, CBF’s senior scientist. A fraction of pre-colonial population levels, shad scored 5 out of 100 on CBF’s 2000 State of the Bay Report.

As the Susquehanna River Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Pennsylvania, St. Pierre (Millerstown, Penn.) oversees implementation of one of the country’s most extensive fish restoration programs, including stocking strategies and habitat issues. St. Pierre also chairs the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program’s Fish Passage Workgroup.

“The strength and success of the Susquehanna River shad restoration program is a direct result of Dick’s efforts,” Goldsborough said. “He deserves much of the credit for establishing the fish passage at the four hydropower dams in the lower river, concluding with the York Haven Dam last May, allowing fish to migrate freely up the river for the first time in over a century.”

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has awarded the Conservationist of the Year to an individual, business, or organization since 1980, when its first recipient was one of CBF’s original founders, Arthur W. Sherwood. Nominees are evaluated on the beneficial impact of their actions on the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and watershed. The long-term effect and innovation of the nominee’s achievements are also considered.

St. Pierre will be presented with his Conservationist of the Year award at a luncheon in Washington, DC, on January 24. At the same luncheon, Andrea Bowden, the supervisor for science, mathematics, and health for the Baltimore City public schools, will be honored as CBF’s 2000 Environmental Educator of the Year, and former Maryland Governor Harry R. Hughes will receive a special lifetime achievement award for his work to spearhead the Chesapeake Bay cleanup.

Posted: 1-25-2001